The Dance Is Over, Life After The Crypt
by InvidHellCat2
Summary: After her battle with the NecroDancer ends Cadence and her family are back home. Cadence visits Aria's grave, and receives a visit from her best friend. Please R&R Choral is not in the character list.


**LEGAL NOTICE/AUTHOR'S NOTE: THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION ANY RESEMBLANCE TO ANY ACTUAL PERSON OR PERSONS LIVING OR DEAD IS PURELY COINCIDENTAL. ANY SIMILARITY TO ANY ACTUAL REAL LIFE EVENT OR EVENTS IS LIKEWISE COINCIDENTAL. CRYPT OF THE NECRODANCER IS OWNED BY BRACE YOURSELF GAMES, ALL COPYRIGHTS AND TRADEMARKS ARE RESERVED TO THEM. THIS STORY IS WRITTEN FOR FUN AND NOT FOR ANY MONETARY GAIN. I DO HOPE THAT YOU ENJOY THIS YARN I SPUN IT WAS JUST A RANDOM IDEA I HAD ONE NIGHT. PLEASE R &R**

 **THE DANCE IS OVER, LIFE AFTER THE CRYPT**

 **(By: INVID HELLCAT 7/20/17)**

Everything is so surreal right now. My mother who was dead is now alive again, my father, Dorian, who was missing has returned, and me well my life will never be the same after what I just went through; although, the return of my parents came with a heavy loss. My mother's mother, is now dead, but her sacrifice has saved my family from a curse.

My name is Cadence, I was up until recently more or less an ordinary girl. When my mother Melody died my dad's grief was inconsolable he headed out for a crypt that had what he thought would the way to bring my mother back. My uncle Eli tried to talk him out of it saying it was foolishness to go chase a rumor and abandon his only daughter. For two years he went missing. Little did I know that he had become an unwilling servant of a mad man who called himself The NecroDancer, who used to be a bard named Octavian. Long story short I found my dad's notes and maps, and located this crypt, but what awaited me was beyond anything I could imagine, beyond anything in my worst nightmare. Thankfully I was able to rescue my dad, who in turn used the power of The Golden Lute to revive my mother, who in turn returned to the crypt to confront the NecroDancer again, who was then saved by my grandmother at the cost of her own life when she finally destroyed The Lute once and for all. Lifting the curse on our family.

I'm all at once happy, and sad. Happy to have my mom and dad back, but saddened by the loss of my grandmother. I stand at my grandmother's grave alone. The sun is just starting to rise. I honestly don't know why I'm here I barely knew her, but I know that I can never forget what she did. I feel tears start to roll down my cheeks the few memories I have of Aria coming clearly to mind. All happy memories, but now she's gone those days never to return. I kneel down and put a hand on top of the gravestone.

"Thank you, because of you the nightmare is forever over. May you find the peace in death that eluded you in life." I whisper.

I jump in mild surprise when I feel a hand on my shoulder.

"I thought you'd be here." A very familiar female voice says to me.

I don't bother turning around I know the owner of that voice very well. Choral, she's been my best friend since I was knee high to myself. Up until everything that happened with my mom, and dad we were nearly inseparable.

"Yeah, I don't why but I just feel almost compelled to come here." I answer without moving to face her.

I don't want her to see my tears. Me Cadence, the woman that single handedly defeated a monster with near god-like powers, and all of his undead minions, be seen crying. That would be humiliating for me. I then feel her arms gently wrap around me.

"Cadence I know you too well. This is tearing you apart if you need to let it out I'm here for you. I won't judge you. You've been my best friend since as far back as I can remember. I can't even begin to guess what you went through, but like always I'm here for you." She says in a very soothing voice.

In one way she's right since this all started I've barely shed a tear, or shown any sort of emotion, but I'm too strong for that. I'm not some weak little crybaby. I'm not some pathetic little girl looking for pity. I faced down what could only be described as a literal "Hell on Earth" and walked away not only alive but practically without a scratch. No, I'm not a wimp that needs the charity and sympathy of others. Before I know it Choral lifts me to my feet and takes me into a hug, and then for first time I totally break down. Everything I've been holding in since my mom died, and my dad disappeared comes out. All the grief, sadness, anger, confusion, and fear, everything every last ounce of it comes pouring out of me in a flood of tears. Through my sobs all I can hear are the soothing words Choral is speaking to me.

Some time later I find myself waking up. I feel drained but also for the first time in a long time nearly peaceful. I recognize Choral's bedroom. I turn to the left and see Choral sitting by the bed. She smiles as she sees my eyes open.

"Choral? What happened?" I asked confused.

"After you broke down I took you to my house, but you wound up crying yourself to sleep. You must've been holding in a lot for that to happen. I wish you would've talked to me more about how you're feeling. I was worried sick about you." She says a mixture of tenderness and annoyance in her voice.

"Choral, I, I, I didn't want to burden you with my problems and, I honestly didn't know what to say nor how to say it. I am sorry I worried you though." I say then continue.

"And, well, I was scared you wouldn't understand, and I that I'd drive you away." I finish.

Choral gives me an evil eye. "Cadence, like I said before you're my best friend in the world. There's no person on this Earth I care about more than you. Even if I didn't understand I'd never abandon you, I'd never throw away all of our years of friendship. Maybe I wouldn't have understood anything but more times than not just talking about something that bothers you usually helps, and I'm always willing to listen to you, and help you in anyway I can." She says with an intensity I've never heard form her before.

"So, please if you're hurting, if you're grieving, if you're lonely, talk to me. Maybe just that will help alleviate whatever it is." She says again this time taking one of my hands in hers.

I can't help it I smile as I softly squeeze her hand. "I promise in the future I'll make sure to talk to you if I need somebody." I reply. I see her smile in return.

"Good, I'm gonna hold you to that promise, but I swear if you ever do this again I'm going to kick your ass from here to the ocean and back."

We both break into laughter. When our laughter subsides Choral asks me if I'm hungry. Honestly I am I haven't eaten anything since dinner last night. Choral cooks up a small lunch for the two us. I'm always amazed how good of a cook she is. Then again the art of cooking isn't something I really learned. I've always been too much of a tomboy to bother to learn. Not to say that Choral isn't also something of a tomboy herself, but I think between the two of us she has far more common sense about some things than I ever will.

As we eat we make small talk. Nothing really noteworthy just idle chatter between friends, but I realize how much I missed this. This normal every day thing for most people. With all the craziness my life has become recently it's amazing how one simple little thing can snap everything back into focus. I was such an idiot to think that Choral of all people would reject me just because I was having personal problems and family issues. She's always stuck by my side through everything. She really is the greatest friend a person could have. I'm lucky that she's been my best friend for as long as she has.

"You know Choral the man you end up marrying one day is going to be the luckiest man on Earth." I say.

She looks at me with an almost embarrassed looking grin on her face.

"Thank you. I guess." I hear her reply.

"Cadence, I think it's still too early for us to be thinking about marriage though. Besides there aren't any guys in the village I'd want to marry anyways." She continues.

I have to agree with her on that in all truth we're barely adults. We still have so much life ahead of us, and quite frankly all the guys in this village are just no thanks.

"Well I guess that means we'll have to move to a new village. I mean somewhere in the world there's got to be a guy that's right for us." I say in response.

I hear Choral laugh. "Well I know the feeling is mutual, most if not all the boys in the village don't care for me, and you well, they think you…" Choral starts but then stops herself from saying whatever it is she was going to say.

I know exactly what she was going to say. I've heard it most of my life, despite, or maybe in spite of how many times or how many ways I deny it, they just don't believe me.

"Well, too bad for them they can keep thinking that for all I care. Just gives me another reason not to like them." I say as I shrug my shoulders.

"But you know Choral whether or not we ever find a husband as long as we remain friends I'd say we had a pretty good life." I say giving Choral another smile which she returns.

"Yeah, we've been friends for so long now I can't imagine life without you. Whatever life lays before us I just hope that we both find the happiness that we deserve." Choral responds.

I lift up my glass of apple cider and tell her I'll drink to that. We clink our glasses together and then a comfortable silence settles over us.

 **THE END.**

 **END NOTES: FINALLY I WAS ABLE TO START AND FINISH A FIC. IT'S BEEN TOO LONG FREAKING WRITERS BLOCK. JUST IN CASE YOU DON'T KNOW CHORAL IS THE PLAYER 2 CHARACTER. ANYWAYS THIS WAS LITERALLY A SPUR OF THE MOMENT IDEA I HAD ONE NITE SO I JUST DECIDED WHAT THE HECK TRY TO GET IT OUT AND WRITTEN, THANKFULLY I WAS ABLE TO DO THAT. I DO HOPE THAT YOU ENJOYED THIS ANY FEEDBACK IS WELCOME TAKE CARE UNTIL NEXT TIME PEACE OUT INVID HELLCAT (7/20/17)**


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